As is well known, outboard motors are not a permanent part of a boat and are therefore detachable for use on various types of rented boats or for reasons of lightening and weight of boats during launching and/or trailering thereof. To this end, it is a standard practice to provide each outboard motor with a motor mount in the form of C clamps usually cast integrally with the main body of the outboard motor. Such C clamp motor mount is conventionally an inverted C shape having a bight adapted to fit over a mounting board such as the transom of a boat and the like. One arm of the C shape has a flat face to fit against the transom board and the other arm has a pair of tapped bores for threaded clamp screws movable normal to the flat face and transom board for securing them together.
Each of the clamp screws are provided with handles or crossbars to facilitate tightening and/or loosening of the clamp screws. With an outboard motor thus so easily removable from its mounting board, thefts of such motors have become prevalent.
Numerous ways of preventing theft of outboard motors have included chains and/or cables with padlocks. Such chains and/or cables are easily severed by modern high-powered cutting shears. Various forms of locking devices applied as covers and/or interlocking apparatus for the threaded clamp screws have been devised. Among these known to be patented in the U.S. are: U.S. Pat. No. 2,500,375; Mar. 14, 1950; Parker; U.S. Pat. No. 2,639,605; May 26, 1953; Knutson; U.S. Pat. No. 2,798,369; July 9, 1957; Homan; U.S. Pat. No. 2,984,096; May 16, 1961; Futman; U.S. Pat. No. 3,287,943; Nov. 29, 1966; Vaughn et al.; U.S. Pat No. 2,529,432; Nov. 1950; Tenner; U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,130; Mar. 1972; Thompson; U.S. Pat. No. 3,889,500; June 1975; Hix et al.;
Parker and Homan each show barrel type locks associated with intricate interconnecting plates applied to the threaded clamp screws. Knutson, Futman and Vaughn each show cover plates requiring a padlock which may easily be sheared.
The present invention has its embodiment in a simple yet efficient Lock Hardware structure adapted to cover and enclose the transverse handles of the threaded clamp screws and a detachable mounting plate provided with a long bolt and means on the cover for locking the latter to the long bolt.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cover for either swivel or transverse handles of C clamp screws to prevent turning thereof and to conceal the screws themselves against severence by hacksaw blades or removal from the cover although thus severed.